just want to say that I think the FD has the best "time to shift!" sound of all the Rx cars. The 1st and 2nd gen are kind of grating/obnoxious, the Rx-8 is a little too polite. The FD is right in the middle.

 

I dont mind the tone, but sometimes I wish it was a little louder. If I'm redlining it in 3rd (or 4th), I can barely hear it. Maybe my hearing is getting bad

 

Adam,

I'm right there with you because I haven't heard that chime since 2003~ish... Not that it broke, as the mods piled on the car just got too damn loud at WOT

 

I think my buzzer is dead, my CPU#2 has all kind of goofiness and I'll probably replace with a new one.

The FC's had the buzzer in the instrument cluster, which makes a lot more sense. Closer to your head and easier to hear. I could clearly hear the one in my VERY loud old FC (open wastegate).

Dale

 

I thought the buzzer only worked with stock/chipped engine ECU. Anybody else know?

 

I've never heard it... or noticed? ...
I do drive like a grandpa though.

 

So it's right at red line.

But if it doesn't work on non stock ECU, I wonder why that is. There is no dedicated shift chime warning from the engine ECU, and it can't be from the trans ECU because then it would only work on automatics. Maybe it gets a tach signal through the data link connector or cluster, and then processes the signal before the chime. Nowadays it would all be messages over a CAN bus.

 

Interesting! There should be a way to make it work again. I never associated the lack of beep with the ECU.

Time to dig out the wiring diagram .

Dale

 

I don't think mine works either or I never took it above 7300 rpm. time to rev the **** out of it once it's moving again

 

Hmm, is that activated by the main ECU or this ECU #2 that Dale mentioned? With an AEM EMS it would be easy to output +5V on a sensor line to have the buzzer go off whenever you want. I don't know if the PowerFC has the same kind of capability but I assume it does? I only have experience with AEM EMS on other cars.

 

So it's listed under CPU #2 functions, that's where that image came from. The CPU is what would be called the body control module in a modern car. Instead of communicating through a digital connection (CAN message) it communicates with the rest of the vehicle by analog signals.

I spent a while digging through the service manuals, wiring diagrams, and service highlights. Here's how it works.



The warning chime comes from the CPU #2, based on a signal that comes from the cluster.

The CPU #2 receives a signal at pin 1L for a warning. That includes the warning chime for low coolant level as well. The cluster makes the determination for a warning chime based on different inputs, such as the low coolant sensor. For the overrev chime, it is getting a tach signal from pin 2B on the engine ECU, which is routed through the diagnostic connector under the hood.

I'm thinking aftermarket ECUs, including the Power FC, don't output a tach signal on pin 2B. This is based on looking at the documentation. I haven't gotten in there and confirmed but I'm 90+ % sure. The service manual specifically says to check pin 2B on the engine ECU if you are not getting the overrev alarm. And the pinout of the ECU gives a specification at 3000 rpm, indicating that it is a tach signal.

 

I don't remember having it on my old FD's with a Power FC's, but it works on my late spec stock car & I like it! With the stock cat and back box it's no louder than an average car so you could never miss the buzzer .

 

Nice! I'll have to experiment with that sometime.

Dale

 

It works with my car with a PFC.

 

I got the shift chime with my PowerFC when getting up around 7500rpm autocrossing

Assuming it wasn't the PFC warning me about something else (ie running out of injector). AFAIK the PFC only has the flashing "exhaust overheat" light as a warning feature and the shift chime is built in to the car as arghx said

 

Hmm. Ifor its not the ECU, could it be the CPU? Low coolant buzzer should still work.

 

Same for me.

 

so it sounds like the PFC does have the tach output, although I've driven PFC cars that don't have a shift chime. They must have had something else going on--bad cluster or bad CPU #2. I would think that most any other aftermarket ECU would not have output to the cluster.